Focus in a World of Multi-tasking

As a leader, how do you keep your focus in an age of multi-tasking?

Multitasking may speed you through your to-do list, but it also makes you more likely to make mistakes and less likely to retain information. Here are three ways to focus:

• Think good thoughts. Positive emotions improve the brain's executive function and encourage creative and strategic thinking. Improve your emotional balance by taking short breaks and thinking about things that make you happy.
• Ban distractions. Be aware of what steals your attention. When disrupted, make a conscious choice to return to the task at hand.  This may mean shutting off your Blackberry/Smartphone.
• Leave things behind. When you turn to a new task, part of your brain is still thinking about the last one. Before starting something new, go for a walk, climb stairs, or do some deep breathing to clear your head.

Adapted from "Train Your Brain to Focus" by Paul Hammerness, MD, and Margaret Moore.

Helping Your Team Define How it Will Work

As a leader, how do you help your team define how it will work?

Most leaders know to help their team define goals, but the conversation shouldn't stop there. You also need to agree on the mechanics of how the team will get the work done. Here are four things that need to be clear on every team:

• Roles and responsibilities. Every member needs to know their tasks and how their work will contribute to the overall goals.
• Work processes. You don't need a notebook full of procedures, but agree on processes to carry out the basics—such as decision-making or communicating.
• Rules of engagement. Establish a constructive team culture. Discuss the shared values, norms, and beliefs that will shape the daily give-and-take between team members.
• Performance metrics. How will you measure team progress? Define the measures for meeting the goals, and the consequences for not meeting them.

Adapted from "For Your Team's Success, Remember the How" by Linda Hill & Kent Lineback.

Need to Teach? Try Show & Tell

As a leader, how do you build capacity among your staff members?

How many times have you trained a colleague in a task, only to have that person come knocking on your door every five minutes with a question?   Building the capacity of your staff members is a key leadership role.  People learn and build their capacity by watching and engaging with others, so instead of telling people how to solve a problem, show them and tell them. Take them through each step, explaining your thinking and the reasons behind each. Then allow them to ask as many questions as needed. This will not only give them the foundation they need to do the task, but will prompt you to master the task more deeply as you provide a justification for each step.  And keep the office door open.  If there are further questions, you want to be there to lend a hand. 


Adapted from "The Best Approach to Training" by Richard Catrambone.

Blind Spots in Your School/Organization?

As a leader, how do you ensure you keep an eye on 'blind spots'?

When our brains concentrate intensely on one task, we miss what is happening around us. This means that when your team diligently focuses on a task, it's likely they're missing something. Here are two ways to identify those blind spots:

• Assign the task of speaking up. Every time your team meets, include an agenda item that reads: "What are we missing?" Rotate responsibility for answering that question so everyone eventually contributes.
• Get an outsider's perspective. Bring people in from other parts of the organization to analyze your observe and comment on your work. They might not know about the progress, methods, or solutions being worked on already, but they may see something your team doesn't.  They too can ask the question: "What are we missing?"

Adapted from "Why You May Be Blind to a Good Idea (and What to Do About It)" by Cathy N. Davidson.

Is Your 'To Do' List Out of Control?

As a leader, how do you manage your 'to do' list? 

Having an unruly to-do list can be overwhelming. If you find yourself rushing around, but not actually getting much done, try the following process:

• Write it all down. Put everything on one list. Determine which tasks are easy and which are more difficult.
• Do some easy things. Spend 15 minutes doing the easy tasks. Focus on speed: make the quick phone calls, shoot off the brief emails. Cross as many tasks off the list as you can.
• Turn to a bigger task. Turn off your phone, close all the open windows on your computer, and focus on one of the more challenging tasks. Do this for 35 minutes without distraction.
• Take a break. After 35 minutes, take a 10-minute break. Then return to step two.

Adapted from Guide to Managing Stress by by Gill Corkindale, Judith Ross, Tony Schwartz, Catherine McCarthy, Stewart D. Friedman, Peter Bregman, Amy Gallo, Alexandra Samuel, John Baldoni, Linda Steinberg, Ron Ashkenas, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Vickie Elmer